EU governments
to give law enforcement agencies access to all communications
dataThe
Council of the European Union (the 15 EU governments) is about
to back the demands of EU law enforcement agencies for full access
to all telecommunications data to be written into all Community
legislation in the future, and for all existing privacy and data
protection laws to be re-examined.

Features

EU: EU-FBI telecommunications surveillance
system comes home to roostExamines
the proposals on data retention for law enforcement purposes
and surveillance of telecommunications. For this feature, extensive
background and documentation see the Statewatch's Observatory
on Surveillance in Europe: SOS Europe

ACCESS TO EU DOCUMENTS:European Parliament votes for "deal"
with the Council on access to documentsThe
European Parliament has voted through the "deal" with
the EU Council on the new code of public access to documents.
An "unholy alliance" between the PSE (socialists) and
PPE (conservatives) secured a large majority ignoring the pleas
from civil society groups (Statewatch, the European Federation
of Journalists, ECAS, the European Environmental Bureau, Bankwatch
and leading academics). Negotiations leading up to the deal offended
basic democratic standards. Statewatch editor Tony Bunyan commented
"It shows that on this issue the majority in the European
Parliament are closer to the governments in the Council than
they are to the people they represent".

GERMANY: International alarm
at "anti-terrorist" prosecutionsGermany's
Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has put 6 people on trial
for alleged "membership of a terrorist organisation".
The basis for the allegations has been evidence obtained under
the much criticised Crown Witness Regulation of the German Criminal
Code (§129/129a). Inconsistencies in the evidence to the
trial, remand periods for up to 14 months, and the use of §129/129a
have now led to severe criticism by international trial observers
and civil liberties groups, and the public prosecution and law
enforcement agencies stand accused of politically motivated prosecution.
Meanwhile, members of the German parliament have joined demands
for the abolition of §129/129a.

UK: Asylum "non-compliance"
regulation abused by Home OfficeExamines
the Home Office's abuse of the non-compliance regulation which
has artificially enhanced its decision rate on asylum applications
and led to sloppy and illegal decisions - appeal rates are also
up. Also looks at the refusal of Iranian claimants, the possible
effect of the Race Relations Amendment Act, detention at Oakington,
the as yet invisible review of the NASS vouchers system and the
disappointing judgments on appeals against immigration decisions
brought under the Human Rights Act.

News

Europe

Netherlands/UK:
Questions ask
whether the death of 58 Chinese immigrants was a "controlled
delivery"?The
death of 58 Chinese migrants in a container lorry has resulted
in prosecutions for manslaugther and people trafficking in the
UK and Netherlands. The British trial has now ended, and questions
concerning a possible involvement of police forces from both
countries have arisen in the Dutch trial. Inconsistencies in
police statements over surveillance of the suspects prior to
the fatal journey, and links to earlier cases of known trafficking
have led to parliamentary questions in the Netherlands about
whether the container could have been part of an international
"controlled delivery" operation.

EU: Justice and Home Affairs Council,
15-16 March 2001Temporary
protection in the case of a mass influx of refugees; procedures
for implementing border checks and surveillance; common manual
on border controls; EU crime prevention network; "cybercrime";
facilitation of unauthorised entry and residence; JHA cooperation
with central and eastern European "candidate" states.

Immigration

UK: Compensation claims for illegal
imprisonment of refugeesA 1999
High Court ruling found the government's practice of imprisoning
asylum seekers without valid documentation illegal. Now the Home
Office is facing a string of compensation claims from asylum
seekers who have been unfairly imprisoned between 1994 and 1999.

UK: Charter jets for mass deportationsLarge
numbers of failed asylum seekers and irregular migrants are now
being deported en masse. In order to reach its annual deportation
target of 30,000, the UK Home Office has started hiring charter
jets to carry out 'removals'.

UK: Anti-deportation protests at
airports illegalA Magistrate's
Court has found an anti-deportation protester guilty of violating
airport by-laws during a protest against the forced removal of
an Iraqi asylum seeker. The police has been criticised for heavy-handed
conduct during the arrest, also towards journalists. Now the
defence is appealing the decision under the UK Human Rights Act
in order to claim the right to protest against deportations if
the life of the deportee is in danger, and on grounds of the
right to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly
and association.

Netherlands:
Iraqi refugees
on hunger strikeThe
Dutch government has recently declared Northern Iraq 'safe' for
Kurds, and stopped issuing temporary residency permits, leaving
around 9,000 people in legal limbo (no work permits, no access
to welfare). Five Kurds have been on hunger strike since February
this year and other protests are increasing against this decision.
The government however, is not backing down.

Immigration - in briefUK:
Straw overruled again in application of Dublin Convention

Civil
Liberties

ITALY: New internet censorshipLaw
62/2001 came into force in March 2001 and turns web sites 'regularly'
publishing information into an 'editorial product', subjecting
them to Italy's press laws. The main changes include compulsory
registration of website, the requirement that a professional
journalist must take responsibility for a site providing information,
and the introduction of a system of regulations and sanctions.

Law

UK/Spain: Fast-track extradition agreementA bilateral
agreement between Spain and the UK "to negotiate a treaty
for expedited surrender, based on the principle of mutual recognition".
It aims to replace extradition procedure with a single court
hearing "to establish liability to surrender" as part
of a wider plan to limit judicial scrutiny in the requested state
and to advance the unquestioning execution of 'foreign' judgments
by EU member states.

UK: Reform of extradition proceduresThe
Home Office has published a consultation document on extradition
which includes a "fast-track" procedure for EU countries.

Military

UK: Police and army to deploy "unstable
weapon of death"Ministry
of Defence plans to introduce a new generation of more lethal
plastic bullets on June 1 have been criticised by Labour MP Kevin
McNamara. The MP, who described the L21A1 baton round as a "child
killer", says that the decision defies the recommendations
of the Patten report into policing in Northern Ireland.

EU: European defence - hidden agendas?Looks
at the interests of Britain, France and Germany in common European
defence measures. Suggests Britain wants to be at the heart of
an ambitious project, partly because it isn't participating in
the single currency; Germany wants an integrated defence and
security policy and France sees the defence as the most promising
area in which to assert its international influence.

Military - in briefEurope:
European Air group extended; France-Italy: Agreement on satellite
sharing

Policing

UK: Families reject "cosmetic"
changes to PCAThe
United Families and Friends Campaign have criticised Home Office
plans to replace the PCA with a new body, the Independent Police
Complaints Commission. They argue that the Home Office framework
falls far short of the "sweeping reforms needed for restoring
confidence."

UK: Damages for injury - but not
for deathIn
May 1995 Brian Douglas and Stafford Soloman were the first victims
of the US style long-handled baton following its issue to the
Metropolitan Police. Brian died after five days after being struck
across the head after the two were stopped by police in South
London, Stafford was struck on the arm. Although the police have
never accepted any liability for Brian's death , they have recently
agreed to a £45,000 out-of-court settlement with Mr Stafford.

Germany: Racist stop-and-search: does
not exist if not recordedLaw
enforcement agencies in Germany have been given far-reaching
stop and search powers over the past few years. Now that complaints
about racist conduct during these operations is on the increase
and the government is being questioned as to what plans it has
to combat institutionalised racism, the government has replied
that it is not possible to investigate allegations as no statistics
were being collected.

Ex-RIR soldier jailed
for possession of loyalist armsA former
RIR soldier and loyalist paramilitary/far-right supporter has
been jailed for nine years for possession of firearms.

Racism
and fascism

UK: Foot in mouth politicsFollowing
the criminalisation of the Chinese community after the death
of 58 migrants in Dover last year, the community is now facing
allegations of illegally importing meat which caused the foot
and mouth crisis in the agricultural industry. The Chinese community
has started to protest against what it feels is increasing anti-Chinese
racism in the UK.

Germany: Secret service informer exposedA 'documentary
film maker' who has been active in left wing circles in Germany
for over twenty years has been exposed for spying for several
secret service agencies. Large amounts of intelligence on dozens
of Italian, French, German and Swiss activist groups and hundreds
of persons has been discovered at his office. Italian and German
secret services as well as a UK based 'business-intelligence'
bureau, which conducted spying activities in Nigeria for oil
giant Shell, were among his employers. Now the Swiss based activist
group which the 'film maker' was part of is calling for people
who believe to have been subjected to his investigations, to
come forward. The spy has left Switzerland and his whereabouts
are unknown.

UK: Repeal the Official Secrets Act
(ROSA)Following
a series of politically motivated trials and court actions against
individuals, journalists and publishers a campaign has been launched
to repeal the Official Secrets Act (ROSA). It is supported by
Liberty, the NUJ, the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting
Freedom, Statewatch and Index on Censorship.

* In addition the bulletin
carries a round-up of new material and full listing of UK parliamentary
debates